Despite the destruction of the Darcsen concentration camps at Fouzen, and with it the massacre of an unacceptable amount of the dark blue-haired people, the liberation of the industrial mining town was a success. Squad 7 of the Gallian Militia had done what they could and defeated General Gregor along with his forces. For the Darcsens, they would never forget the courage and valor shown by the men and women in blue uniform. As for the members of Squad 7, with the exception of a certain gray-haired sniper, they would never forget the grateful looks on their faces that helped them answer why they fought for a free Gallia. Their only regret was that they couldn't save everyone.

Squad 7 returned to the Gallian Army's central base, Fort Amatrain in Randgriz, and were given a few days to rest and recover. Captain Varrot was not known for giving out free passes, but she consistently found herself placed in positions where she couldn't help but love and respect Squad 7, and by extension, all of the Gallian Militia. Everyone was grateful for the reprieve and went off to cope or mingle with their friends and comrades. Fouzen had taken a lot out of the squaddies and it would take time for them to return to their usual boisterous nature.

In the meantime Squad 7's leader, 2nd Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, had his hands full making sure none of his comrades got into any trouble while juggling administration work. When Largo, Rosie and Alicia were unable to attend to troublemakers or rising stars in the ranks, the burden fell to Welkin. Nobody in Squad 7 would do anything heinous, and most of the time it was a tiny infraction or a voiced concern from a comrade that brought a squaddie to Welkin's office. That said, there were plenty of outstanding members of the squad who were infamous for something in the heat of battle, and Welkin had the misfortune of addressing one of them.

"Commander?" The brown-haired boy tried to get his commander's attention from across the office. He regretted getting the nature-loving Lieutenant a caterpillar for he was engrossed by it. "Uh... Mr. G? Could you please..."

"Oh? Sorry Emile, I got distracted, didn't I?" Welkin chuckled and looked out at the young sniper from his mop of drab hair. "It's just... The caterpillar you caught has formed a green chrysalis of the likes of a typical migratory monarch butterfly! They're not usually found this far up north! Wow, to see those beautiful wings unfurled from the chrysalis like some pheonix rising from-"

Emile rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

"Drat, I did it again... Alright, you've got my attention. What were you saying again?"

"I'm worried about Ms. Turner, sir."

"Turner? Do you mean Jane Turner? Our shocktrooper from Bruhl?" Welkin sat up straight in his chair and gave Emile an inquisitive look. The young sniper nodded. "What's the matter with her?"

"Uh, she's fine! I mean, she's not sick or anything. It's just that she was making a few threats to some of the other squads recently." Emile looked embarrassed and a little ashamed of himself. Though he was only 15, he loved his comrades and didn't like ratting any of them out. "I don't mean to start something, but I'm worried. Ms. Turner usually keeps a sidearm on her at all times, and I don't want something bad to happen if worse comes to worst."

Welkin nodded and cradled his chin in his hand.

"Threats huh? I find it hard to believe Jane would threaten a comrade out of the blue. Emile, do you know if she was instigated? Sometimes people say things they don't mean."

"No sir. I think my brother and Mr. Salinger know what happened, but I haven't seen either of them today yet."

"Alright." Welkin stood up and took another long glance at the encased chrysalis on his desk before smoothing out his uniform. "Instigated or not, I don't want this to escalate. I'll talk with Jane and see what I can do. Is that all, Emile?"

Emile gave a curt salute and looked as if he was on the verge of a nervous collapse.

"Y-you won't tell her about me, will you? I'm frail enough as it is. I really, really don't want a heart attack, sir."

"Don't worry," Welkin replied with a chuckle. "I won't. You're dismissed. Oh, and if you stumble across any rare insects, I'd be more than happy to take a look at them. Ah! Maybe you could try to find a northwestern crimsonhead spider! The season is just right for them to come out and I've been waiting for the chance to find one out in the field. They've got a wonderful set of mandibles that can- Emile?" Welkin looked around the office and noticed that Emile had left just as he was beginning one of his nature rants. The Lieutenant gave a sheepish grin. "Huh... Maybe he was really eager to find one..."

Everyone in Squad 7 had their quirks and unique personalities. Ted Ustinov was an easygoing jokester, Rosie was a gruff big sister, Largo was a grizzly bear of a man with an insatiable and mildly concerning love for vegetables and Alicia was the stubborn mother-figure who held the squad together. No matter if they were misogynistic, misandristic or asocial, everyone cared for the other in their own unique way. Even Marina, the emotionless sniper, cared for her comrades if her putting holes in approaching enemy stormtroopers was anything to go by. But Jane Turner... She was a touchy case; a double-edged sword.

Welkin stood in his office and gazed over at the Gallian Medal of Honor sitting on one of his many bookcases. His friend, Faldio, would be quick to point out that other officers would be doing something more productive with their time. Field reports, R&D potentials, battle plans, even schmoozing with the other officers would be something that seemed more important. But Welkin was a strange man who, though unpredictable at times, never failed to get the job done. Squad 7 was his family, and family came first.

Just as the young officer began to daydream about how the medal reminded him of some outrageous creature he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal the infamous Jane Turner herself in all her glory. A tall, dark-haired woman with bluish-gray eyes and no need for makeup, Jane quickly filled the room despite not even setting a foot inside it. She gave her commanding officer a cold look more akin to a glare and stalked her way to the foot of his desk. Her uniform and stormtrooper armor was immaculate and proved that she was more than capable of utilizing it to its full potential. With her lips set in a firm line she clicked her heels together and saluted the younger man.

"Private Jane Turner, reporting." She narrowed her eyes. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

For a moment Welkin had to compose himself. He was a calm man by heart, but hearing the gruff and callous voice coming from such a woman like Jane was enough to send a shiver down his spine. He returned her salute and gestured to a chair opposite him across the desk. Though he sat down, Jane chose not to follow.

"At ease, private," Welkin offered.

"I like to stand," Jane replied. She relaxed her posture and spread out her feet to make herself comfortable. "So... Let me guess... Oscar's little brother, right?"

"I'm afraid I can't say," Welkin managed to reply. "I assume you know why you're here?"

Jane looked as if she wanted to dodge the question, yet her lips curled up ever so slightly in amusement after a moment's hesitation.

"I'm here because people don't know how to appreciate a soldier's work."

"You made a few threats towards some of the other squads in the militia, including Squad 1. None of the men and women in this squad have done that before. During operations, yes, but never to another comrade." Welkin took a deep breath. "I understand what happened at Fouzen, but that doesn't warrant hostility to our comrades. Why were you making threats?"

"Does it matter?" Jane asked.

Welkin was about to respond when he noticed one of Jane's hip-guards was missing, and in its place was a pistol in its holster.

"Is that loaded?"

"Safety's on."

"...Alright." Welkin chose to let the sidearm go for the moment. Though there wasn't anything against units having sidearms while on leave, this was Jane Turner who possessed it. "Did you brandish that at anyone, Jane?"

"Not yet," came the cold reply.

Out of all the stormtroopers in Squad 7, Jane Turner was arguably the best. She was a crack shot with her machinegun, she covered her squaddies well and followed orders without question on the battlefield. However, there was a cruelty to the woman. She wanted to be on the frontlines gunning down any Imperial soldier that crossed her path. The other soldiers harbored some guilt for the enemies they had slain in combat, but not Jane. From the mad grin on her face to the unceasing hailstorm of bullets that poured from the hot barrel of her gun, it was obvious that Jane enjoyed the killing.

Her hatred for the Imperials burned just as brightly as her sadism did. Nearly everyone in Gallia had a reason to hate the Imperials for some grievance or another, but Jane had let her reason simmer and boil over instead of concealing it or doing away with it as many others did. She hated their lancers, the sluggish tanks, their tactics, their nobility and cursed anyone who had any sympathy for them. The woman wouldn't hesitate to spit on the graves of her enemies either, if given the chance.

"I know your hatred for the Imperials runs deep, but don't let it boil over to your squadmates," Welkin advised.

"They ain't my squadmates," Jane scoffed with imprudence. "Squad 7's good people, but those other guys can kiss my ass."

"Jane..."

"Oh, right. Permission to speak freely?"

Welkin raised a hand to massage his temples.

"Granted."

"I'm tossin' out threats not because of spite but because of the gall of those bastards." Jane cocked a thumb towards herself. She began to pace the room. "I didn't go through the godforsaken desert and fight a giant tank just to come back and have our accomplishes get tarnished by some no-good jackass jokers."

"Are you saying that you're threatening the other squads because of what happened at Barious?" Welkin raised his brow. "Were they talking about that Valkyria?"

"No. Fouzen, sir."

"But I said that-"

Jane turned on her heel and shot her commanding officer a dirty look.

"I know what you said," she interjected, cutting him off despite their difference in rank. She brushed her nose and turned to the side. "You were there, commander. They weren't. We can talk about Fouzen. They got no right to." For a moment Jane remained silent. She looked back at Welkin and frowned. "I told one of the boys about the concentration camps we saw in Fouzen. When I told 'em they were burned, someone had the nerve to rub salt in the wound. I could've ruined his jaw if I wanted to. I had the chance," she muttered with a snicker.

"But you threatened them instead."

"Mhmm. Figured I'd warn them first. It ain't fun beatin' up somebody who ain't prepared."

The Lieutenant nodded and folded his hands across his lap. Liberating Fouzen, the one area in Gallia with the most Darcsens, was a trial for every man and woman in Squad 7. He hadn't expected many of the men and women in Squad 7 to tolerate the Darcsen they came across, let alone the four in their ranks. Most of the soldiers avoided the dark blue-hairs and didn't make conversation with them. Some voiced their disdain openly, but they never did anything to compromise the integrity of the squad.

Wavy, Nadine, Zaka and Isara were Darcsens, but more than that, they were family. Isara was Welkin's adoptive sister, and he was always quick to protect her from any and all forms of discrimination, plus stand up for her. Nowadays the stubborn girl does it all by herself, and she's done a splendid job of handling Rosie as well.

Thinking back to the liberation of Fouzen, Welkin remembered deploying Jane with him and the others as they made their assault with the Edelweiss. He didn't care for her reckless and sadistic attitude, especially when she gunned down a destroyed tank's surviving crew without remorse, but she had done something that stood out to both him and his sister. Nadine, the squad's Darcsen engineer, had been cut off from the rest of the advancing force by moving ahead too quickly. Whether out of the temptation to kill more Imperials or not, Jane surged forward and made her way to the engineer. She had provided enough covering fire to get Nadine out of there, and when she had perforated every Imperial in sight, she came running back to her for ammo when no-one else did, save Welkin of course.

And it wasn't just Nadine either. During a skirmish in the Kloden wildwood Jane had been positioned at the rear while the scouts and lancers spearheaded the assault. She was left alone at the forward base with only Wavy, a Darcsen scout and teacher, for company. In hindsight it was a terrible decision to make on Welkin's account, but he needed the eyes of a scout and the power of a stormtrooper to protect the forward base. When the squad's main force returned after the skirmish was over, they saw Jane and Wavy looming over the bodies of a previously unseen squad of Imperials. Though both were uneasy with each other's perspective on combat and killing, they had gotten along without a fuss.

"Ah... So that's how it is then."

"What's up?" Jane asked.

"You're doing this because you're trying to defend Squad 7," Welkin replied. "We're not on the battlefield, Jane, and we don't threaten our comrades. But I understand why you did what you did, and... I appreciate it."

"Huh. Bossman's finally seeing things my way for once." Jane shrugged and shook her head. "Look, I don't see race. If a dark-hair is gonna watch my back, I'm gonna do the same for them. And besides, anyone willin' to put holes in Imps is my buddy."

"That's good to hear!"

Welkin stood up from his desk and folded his arms.

"Though, Jane, you have to realize that you're speaking for the Darcsens when you're threatening others about that kind of thing. That's not their way. I know Isara, and she's not one to issue threats."

"Yeah, yeah," Jane grumbled with a wave of her hand. "Message received. I'll try and control myself next time. Sound good to you, sir?"

"Yes. Sounds alright with me, though threatening a comrade is deserving of a reprimand. It's a minor offense." Welkin unfolded his arms and smiled at Jane. "You can choose the punishment. No mess hall duty, though. I'm not falling for that this time."

"Hahaha... Alright, I'll take my pick then and let you know by tonight."

The stormtrooper clicked her heels together and stood at attention once again. She snapped a curt salute as Welkin did the same before heading out. Just as she was about to leave his office, she turned and stopped in the doorway.

"Oh and sir?"

"Yes?"

"You're alright, I guess," Jane murmured with a coy smile.